2005 Jaguar S-Type

After a brief pause during which it built no vehicles, Jaguar is transitioning to an all-electric luxury brand. In years past, Jaguar was best known for its legendary sports cars, including the E-Type of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and luxurious sedans such as the XJ. The brand was reborn under Ford’s ownership in the 1990s, then sold to India’s Tata Group where it was merged with Land Rover. Eventually, big cars with wood-and-leather interiors gave way to sportier, fun-to-drive models including some compact and midsized SUVs. Jaguar’s first attempt at an EV, the I-Pace, failed to keep up with the competition, and the XF sedan continued on for years without major updates. Both Jaguar and Land Rover share some parts and underlying vehicle designs. Neither brand has shed its reputation for reliability issues, which makes it difficult to recommend used models—even though the XE and XF still offer impressive driving excitement and luxury.

Jaguar's distinctively styled mid-level S-Type sedan was introduced for the 2000 model year. The optional V8 is strong and smooth, the V6 much less so. The interior is a bit tight and the trunk is tiny. We found its handling fairly nimble, while ride quality was supple and controlled. Despite this however, the S-Type driving experience is more run-of-the-mill than truly Jaguar-like. Ultimately, the car lagged its competitive set by a significant margin in our testing.